Ron Tschetter

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Ron Tschetter
Ron Tschetter

Ronald A. Tschetter (born October 4, 1941 in Huron, South Dakota) is the 17th and current Director of the Peace Corps.

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[edit] Education and Peace Corps service

Tschetter earned a bachelor's degree from Bethel University[1] in psychology and social studies.[2] After college, he and some friends traveled and hitchhiked around Europe, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Egypt. He returned home and met and married his wife Nancy. "One day we saw this Peace Corps ad and I said to Nancy, 'We're going to do this work stuff the rest of our lives. Let's go out and see if we can do some good,' " Tschetter says.[3] Although the couple wanted to serve in Turkey, Iran, or Afghanistan, Tschetter and his wife were assigned to teach family-planning techniques in Maharashtra,[4] India beginning in 1966.[3] "We lucked out. India was more different than any of them," says Tschetter. "Wow, what a country."[3] Over the years the Tschetters have returned to India five times to visit their friends.[3]

Once as a Peace Corps volunteer, Tschetter traveled across India to deliver medicine to a village suffering from a smallpox epidemic.[5] "Ultimately the village recovered," said Tschetter.[5] "And today, smallpox is eradicated in the world and it's because of this and thousands of other experiences like it."[5]

[edit] Career as investment executive

Tschetter began his career in 1970 as both a retail and institutional investment executive with Blyth Eastman Dillon Union Securities.[2] He joined Dain Rauscher in 1973 as a broker and spent 28 years there primarily in management before he retired.[2] In 2004 Tschetter was named President of D.A. Davidson & Co., a full-service investment firm based in the Northwest.[2] Tschetter served on the Securities Industry Association Sales and Marketing Committee and the New York Stock Exchange Regional Firms Advisory Committee.[2]

[edit] Peace Corps Director

Peace Corps Director Ronald Tschetter observes deaf students on his visit to Kenya. The students are using role playing exercises, educational videos, and other visual aids that Peace Corps Volunteers have developed, including Kenya's first uniform sign language poster, the "Easy to Learn Sign Language Poster."
Peace Corps Director Ronald Tschetter observes deaf students on his visit to Kenya. The students are using role playing exercises, educational videos, and other visual aids that Peace Corps Volunteers have developed, including Kenya's first uniform sign language poster, the "Easy to Learn Sign Language Poster."[6]

The White House announced Tschetter's nomination on July 25, 2006[1] and Tschetter was confirmed as Director of the Peace Corps by the U.S. Senate on September 13, 2006 and was sworn in on September 26, 2006 becoming the third returned Peace Corps volunteer to serve as director and the first under a Republican administration.[2] Tschetter had previously served on the National Peace Corps Association board from 1993 to 1999, as board chairman from 1995 to 1998 and as an honorary board member from 2000 to 2003.[2]

In an interview with Drew Houff of the Winchester Star in March 2008, Tschetter said that representing the Peace Corps is an honor.[7] "It’s the best job in Washington — I report directly to the president," Tschetter says.[7] "It is bipartisan, apolitical, and supported by most everyone. It also is strongly recognized as a great brand. I tell the new volunteers, ‘You are working for the gold standard of volunteerism in the Peace Corps.’"[7]

[edit] Promoting the Peace Corps

Tschetter says that his service as a volunteer was a life changing experience and for the past 40 years he and his wife have worked to convince others to make the same committment.[7] "When you do and are going through it, you just don’t realize how much it is going to impact your life," says Tschetter.[7] "Your whole value system, your insight, perceptions are impacted as such that it really changes your outlook. It changes what you do, and it changes your desire to serve."[7] Tschetter says that he almost always accepts invitations to talk about the Peace Corps especially at universities because it helps bring new volunteers into the program and helps people understand what the Peace Corps does.[7] "When I get an invitation from a university, it gets my attention because I just know what this can do for a young person who decides to do it," Tschetter says.[7] "I am here to encourage the students that this is an option in your life that you ought to give serious consideration."[7]

[edit] Recruitment of older volunteers

During his confirmation hearings Tschetter announced that he would make recruiting older volunteers a priority for the Peace Corps.[8] "I hope to examine the agency’s recruiting process in order to broaden the applicant pool and better tap into the Baby Boom generation-- a rich harvestable field of potential Volunteers."[8] In April, 2007, the Peace Corps announced the new "50 plus initiative."[9] Under the initiative, older volunteers will be placed in nine test countries: Cameroon, Lesotho and South Africa, along with Ukraine, Romania, Thailand, Jamaica, Dominican Republic and Panama.[10] As part of the program Peace Corps' recruiting messages will be focused on adults 50 and older and publicized through groups such as the AARP and the National Retired Teachers Association.[10] Older volunteers must successfully complete the medical clearing process to serve overseas.[11] "We can't compromise. When we send people abroad, there is no fancy hospital around the corner," says Tschetter.[11] Medical screening, traditionally a lengthy and onerous process for older applicants, will be streamlined, and the transition time from acceptance to placement may be lengthened so older volunteers have more time to deal with personal affairs.[10]

The Peace Corps announced a goal to boost the ranks of volunteers 50 and older from 5 percent of the 7,749 Americans in the Peace Corps to 15 percent over the next two years.[10] "There's around 80 million baby boomers that are now starting to retire. They're healthy and they have a real service element to them," said Tschetter during a trip to Montana in May 2008.[12] "They love to give of themselves in a variety of service ways including volunteerism."[12]

[edit] Murder of Julia Campbell

After the disappearance of Peace Corps volunteer Julia Campbell in the Philippines in April, 2007, Tschetter flew to Manila to meet with Peace Corps volunteers and government officials to express his support and gather first hand information on the situation.[13] After Campbell's body was recovered, Tschetter met with Philippine President Arroyo to thank the Philippine people and the government for their search efforts.[14] A local citizen was subsequently arrested for Campbell's murder.[15]

[edit] Actions by U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania Michael Retzer

On June 14, 2007, the Peace Corps announced its strong disagreement with the decision of Michael Retzer, U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania, to withdraw the authorization for Peace Corps Country Director Christine Djondo to remain in Tanzania and the adverse effects of Retzer's decision on the Peace Corps program in Tanzania including cutting the incoming group of volunteers by half to ensure adequate support. On June 27 Senator Chris Dodd put a hold on the nomination of Mark Green to replace Retzer as Ambassador citing Retzer's action as inteference in the independence of the Peace Corps.[16] Dodd asked that Retzer rescind his cable of no confidence of Djondo or that the State Department provide a written apology to her.[16] On June 28, the State Department provided a written letter of apology to Djondo and Senator Dodd released his hold on Green's nomination allowing it to go forward.[17]

[edit] Embassy incident in Bolivia

In July, 2007 just before a new group of thirty Peace Corps volunteers were sworn in, they received a security briefing from US Embassy Security Officer Vincent Cooper in which they were asked "to basically spy" on Cubans and Venezuelans in the country according to a report from ABC News on February 8, 2008.[18] Peace Corps Deputy Director for Bolivia Doreen Salazar was present at the meeting and found the comments so out of line that she interrupted the briefing to clarify that volunteers did not have to follow the embassy's instructions and Salazar protested directly to the embassy.[18] "We made it clear to the embassy that this was an inappropriate request, and they agreed."[18] Associated Press reported that the U.S. Embassy in La Paz had issued a statement saying that "some routine information sessions about security given to certain American citizens included incorrect information. As soon as this was brought to our attention, appropriate measures were taken to assure that these errors would not be repeated."[19] There is no indication that any Peace Corps volunteer made reports to the Embassy and Peace Corps issued a press release reiterating in no uncertain terms that the corps is not involved in any intelligence gathering.[20][18]

On February 11, 2008 the Associated Press reported that Bolivian President Evo Morales had declared Cooper an "undesirable person."[21] The U.S. embassy released a statement explaining that volunteers had mistakenly been given a security briefing meant only for embassy staff.[21] "Nobody at the embassy has ever asked American citizens to participate in intelligence activities here," said U.S. ambassador Phillip S. Goldberg.[21] "But I want to say that I greatly regret the incident that was made known this weekend."[21]

[edit] See also

[edit] Citations

  1. ^ a b The White House. "Personnel Announcement." July 25, 2006.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g National Peace Corps Association. "Ron Tschetter (India 66-68) Confirmed to Lead Peace Corps" September 29, 2006.
  3. ^ a b c d Billings Gazette. "Nominee recalls his days in Corps" by Jan Falstad. July 29, 2006.
  4. ^ Miami Herald. "Peace Corps volunteer can't stop giving" by Priscilla Greear. October 25, 2007.
  5. ^ a b c Naples News. "Peace Corps seeing resurgence, new chief says" by Amie Parnes. October 2, 2006.
  6. ^ Peace Corps Press Release. "Peace Corps Director Visits Kenya and Unique Deaf Education Program ." June 26, 2007.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i The Winchester Star. "Peace Corps director leads by his example" by Drew Houff. March 28, 2008.
  8. ^ a b >National Peace Corps Association. "Statement of Ronald A. Tschetter." September 5, 2006.
  9. ^ Peace Corps Press Release. "Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter Travels to Seattle-Tacoma Area to Visit Top Colleges and Recruit Baby Boomers." April 26, 2007.
  10. ^ a b c d Seattle Times. "Peace Corps ventures out to attract some older volunteers" by Marsha King. April 26, 2007.
  11. ^ a b Great Falls Tribune. "Peace Corps recruiting volunteers from pool of retiring baby boomers" by Mallory Nelson. May 31, 2008.
  12. ^ a b KPAX-TV "Peace Corps director travels Montana" May 30, 2008.
  13. ^ GMA News. "US Peace Corps director arriving in Manila." April 16, 2007.
  14. ^ Office of the President, republic of the Philippines. "U.S. Peace Corps head thanks PGMA for support in rescue efforts for missing Campbell." April 18, 2007.
  15. ^ Philippine News. "Filipino pleads not guilty to murdering Peace Corps volunteer." June 27, 2007.
  16. ^ a b Green Bay Press Gazette. "Green ambassadorship being held up." June 27, 2007. The link to the original story has expired. An archival link is available on Peace Corps Online.
  17. ^ Appleton Post Crescent. "State Department apology ends hold on Mark Green's nomination" by Ellyn Ferguson. June 27, 2007. The link to the original story has expired. An archival link is available on Peace Corps Online.
  18. ^ a b c d ABC News. "Exclusive: Peace Corps, Fulbright Scholar Asked to 'Spy' on Cubans, Venezuelans" by Jean Friedman-Rudovsky. February 8, 2008.
  19. ^ Associated Press. "US Sought Help in Bolivia" by Dan Keane. February 8, 2008.
  20. ^ Peace Corps Press Office. "Full Statement from the Peace Corps" February, 8, 2008.
  21. ^ a b c d Associated Press. "Morales Accuses US Official of Spying" by Alvaro Zuazo. February 11, 2008.

[edit] External links


Preceded by
Gaddi Vasquez		 Director of the Peace Corps
2006–present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent